Christmas decorations made from recycled materials: 9 ideas to make as a family

What are some ideas for recycling activities for Christmas?

The holiday season is fast approaching, and your children are bursting with energy! You know they love crafting and creating all sorts of things with their little hands. It's the perfect time to awaken their boundless imaginations. To keep them busy until December 25th and unleash their creativity, we're opting for eco-friendly and inexpensive DIY projects . Easy and fun craft activities for your little ones aged 3 to 7. Discover our Christmas Decorations Made with Upcycled Materials: 9 ideas to make as a family while patiently waiting for Santa's arrival. Ho! Ho! Ho!

DIY Christmas decoration ideas at home

Original Christmas decorations made from toilet paper rolls

Very funny characters

From today onwards, we're keeping our empty toilet paper rolls ! Why? Because we 're recycling them by playfully transforming them into adorable characters: Santa Claus , reindeer , snowmen , and more. Your children will love customizing these cardboard tubes and creating a whole magical world.

Making these Christmas decorations is not complicated and requires little equipment: a pair of scissors, glue, paint, colored paper and cotton .

They can, as they wish, add their personal touch with buttons, pompoms, string, stickers , etc. and thus make their works unique.

1. An original advent calendar

The countdown has begun! Tick-tock, tick-tock! It's time to make the essential Advent calendar . Another fun activity to do with your toilet paper rolls and using the same supplies as for making the characters. Economical! There are plenty of designs to choose from, like Christmas trees or snowflakes . Or why not build a village of 24 little houses with complete decorations? In each numbered tube, you can slip in chocolates, small gifts, riddles, or simply love notes. A great way to keep your little ones entertained until Christmas with daily surprises.

2. Cardboard, the 100% recycled decorating idea!

There's no shortage of raw materials! From cereal boxes to cookie packages, cardboard packaging is everywhere. It's a fabulous treasure trove for arts and crafts activities with your little ones. Simple and inexpensive projects: a Christmas wreath, garlands, hanging figures, a 3D fir tree forest , and more. Enough to keep them busy and entertained for a few creative afternoons. For this, you'll need paper plates, cardboard boxes, and everything else necessary to unleash their creativity: colored paper, ribbons, feathers, paint, markers, corks , and so on. Let's get creative!

3. Homemade snow globe

A super simple DIY project that's sure to delight the whole family. To create a truly magical atmosphere or give your loved ones a unique gift, a handmade snow globe is a wonderful find. We're recycling again and again! To do this, we'll use glass jam jars , small baby food jars , or any airtight containers.

The idea is simple: attach figurines upside down to the inside of the lid with super glue, fill the container with water, and add glitter. Shake it, and you're done! The falling snow is beautiful!

Quick tip: to slow down the falling of the glittery flakes and make the fun last longer, replace the water with liquid glycerin, you can easily find it in pharmacies.

You'll see the eyes of your little ones and older children light up, guaranteed!

Got some extra jars? Great! To liven up your cozy atmosphere, transform them into Christmas candle holders . Your children can draw festive designs with chalk markers or paint, glue on lace or raffia, and so on. All that's left is to add a candle. These personalized candle holders are sure to brighten up your home.

4. Custom-made greeting cards

As the holiday season approaches, it's customary to send our best wishes to our loved ones. To continue this lovely tradition, what better way than to send a beautiful greeting card ? Recipients will appreciate it even more if it's made by your budding little artists. A multitude of possibilities are open to them with this budget-friendly DIY project: embroidered cards , pop-up cards , Christmas cards shaped like stars or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and more.

So now's the time to empty the cupboards! Coloured cardstock, buttons, fabrics, wool, lace, rhinestones, etc. They'll have a field day.

5. Homemade air-dry clay Christmas decorations

Homemade air-dry clay is very similar to classic modeling clay. However, its unique feature is that it hardens in the open air. This allows your children to create all sorts of objects, by hand or using cookie cutters, and to preserve them. They can make everything from Christmas tree ornaments to garlands .

The recipe is super simple , economical and ecological :

1 dose of corn starch (Maizena type);
2 doses of sodium bicarbonate;
1 glass of water.

To do this, mix the cornstarch and baking soda in a saucepan, then stir in the water while heating over low heat. As soon as the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pan, it's ready!

Once the decorative elements are shaped (into hearts, little angels, candy canes, etc.), let them dry for 24 hours. Then get out the paint and glitter, and let your little ones' expert fingers work their magic for some truly personalized decorations!

6. Natural Christmas crafts

Looking for a rustic, unique, and inexpensive Christmas decoration? A return to basics and sharing simple joys with the family? Yes? Then let's get some fresh air! Whether in the forest or the park near your home, nature offers everything you need to create beautiful Christmas crafts. It abounds with bounty: leaves, pieces of wood, acorns, pine cones, twigs, bark, moss, and more. Your little ones will have plenty of fun crafting charming figurines with acorns , creating a Christmas wreath with dry branches , holly berries, and moss, or decorating pine cones with paint and pom-poms. 100% natural and zero waste —we love it!

7. Small Christmas shortbread cookies to hang

During this special time, filled with warmth and magic, we especially cherish spending time with our loved ones. For moments of joy, connection, and sharing, head to the kitchen! Your little chefs can prepare delicious Christmas shortbread cookies to hang on the tree. An introduction to textures, tastes, and aromas—an activity to awaken all their senses .

Decorative cookies that are as beautiful as they are delicious, sure to delight your children. Shaped like hearts, Santa's reindeer, and snowmen, and deliciously flavored with gingerbread or cinnamon. Mmm! Edible decorations! Not sure there will be any left by December 24th. Watch out for the gluttons!

8. Clever Christmas DIY projects using clothespins

Do your children have a knack for DIY? Perfect timing! Dare and Proud has another great Christmas decorating idea for you to do as a family using recycled materials . While clothespins are very useful for hanging clothes, how about using them to create some truly surprising decorations? To make charming trinkets, your little elves will only need a few supplies: strong glue, paint, ribbon, jingle bells, etc. Anything they have on hand to embellish their creations . Snowflakes, little deer, garlands, cherubs , and more! It's amazing what you can do with a simple everyday object!

9. Fabrics and felt: a Christmas decoration idea using recycled materials to make as a family

Don't know what to do with your old sheets, worn-out shirts, or fabric scraps? Give them a second life! It's the perfect opportunity for your little ones to have fun making pretty felt figures , denim stars , or fabric Christmas stockings . Once the fabrics are cut and decorated with various embellishments of their choice (beads, bells, sequins, buttons, etc.), it's time to assemble them. Depending on their age, they can either hand-sew the pieces together or use fabric glue to hold them in place. Then all they have to do is stuff their creations with cotton. These soft and colorful decorations will warm up your home.

Christmas decorations

These Christmas activities are perfect for even the youngest children to awaken all their senses and also offer a wonderful introduction to eco-friendly DIY projects. All these easy-to-make decorations using recycled materials provide opportunities for learning, togetherness, and love to share with your children. It's also a chance to raise their awareness of environmental issues .